Kona Coffee FAQs-Roasting, Sourcing, and Shipping
Find answers to common questions about our 100% Kona coffees, roasting schedule, shipping times, and sourcing practices.
Kona K7 Peaberry -Single Estate Kona
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Kona K7 Peaberry - Noelani Farm
A refined and classic washed Kona coffee with delicate florals, bright acidity, and a silky, structured cup profile.
Origin: Hōlualoa, North Kona, Hawai‘i
Roast: Light
Variety: K7
Process: Washed
Flavor: Nougat, red apple, toasted nuts
Body: Silky, medium-light
Acidity: Bright, refined
Altitude: 2,400–2,500 ft
Coffee Review Score: 95 Points (2023 Harvest)
Overview
Kona K7 Peaberry is a classic expression of high-elevation washed Kona coffee focused on balance, sweetness, and refinement.
Compared to many modern fruit-forward experimental coffees, this lot is more restrained and traditional in profile, emphasizing delicate florals, silky texture, and structured acidity over fermentation-driven intensity.
The result is an elegant and highly polished cup with notes of nougat, red apple, toasted nuts, and soft florals.
Origin
Produced by Noelani Farm in the Hōlualoa region of North Kona, this coffee was grown at approximately 2,400–2,500 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest elevation coffee farms in Kona.
First planted in 2018, Noelani Farm has quickly shown the quality advantage of the slow maturation that is enabled by the cool air at nearly double the elevation of the average Kona farm. The K7 variety was planted in 2020 alongside additional experimental plantings of Geisha and Kaffa.
Variety
K7 is a historic Kenyan coffee variety originally released in 1936 after multiple generations of selection by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya.
Recent genetic studies have shown that K7 belongs to the Ethiopian Legacy group, alongside many heirloom Ethiopian varieties as well as cultivars such as SL34.
The variety is known for producing coffees with bright acidity, floral aromatics, and structured sweetness.
Peaberry
Peaberries occur when a coffee cherry develops a single rounded seed rather than the usual pair of flat-sided seeds. Typically only 3–10% of harvested coffee becomes peaberry.
Because of their rounded shape, peaberries roast very evenly and often display slightly higher acidity and clarity compared to flat beans from the same harvest.
Process
Processing for this coffee is intentionally simple and traditional.
Coffee cherries are pulped shortly after harvest and fermented overnight in open tanks without added water before being rinsed and dried slowly on a covered wooden patio.
The restrained washed process preserves the clarity, acidity, and varietal character of the coffee without overshadowing the cup with heavy fermentation influence.
Roast Style & Intent
This light roast was developed to preserve the coffee’s structure, acidity, and delicate aromatics.
We roast conservatively to highlight sweetness and clarity while maintaining the silky mouthfeel and balanced profile that define exceptional washed Kona coffees.
Cup Profile
Expect delicate aromas of toasted nuts and flowers followed by flavors of nougat and red apple in the cup.
The profile is refined and balanced with bright acidity, silky texture, and a long clean finish.
Compared to our more experimental Hawaiian coffees, Kona K7 Peaberry presents a more classic and subdued expression focused on elegance and structure.
Acclaim
The non-peaberry lot from this same harvest received 95 points from Coffee Review, who described it as:
“Richly nut-toned, very sweet… Bright, juicy-sweet acidity; lively, viscous mouthfeel.”
“A fine, classic washed Kona cup: deep-toned, balanced, richly sweet, floral.”
Brewing Recommendations
Excellent for:
- Pour-over (maximum clarity and structure)
- Auto-drip (balanced everyday cup)
- AeroPress (enhanced sweetness and texture)
Use filtered water and brew temperatures around 200–203°F for best results.
Who This Coffee Is For
- Fans of classic washed coffees
- Drinkers seeking elegance and balance over intensity
- Those interested in rare Kona varieties
- Coffee enthusiasts who appreciate refined acidity and structure
If you prefer more fruit-saturated or fermentation-driven profiles, consider one of our natural or anaerobic processed Hawaiian coffees instead.
Why This Coffee Stands Out
Rare Kenyan Variety in Hawai‘i
K7 is extremely uncommon in Kona coffee production.
High-Elevation Kona Terroir
Grown at approximately 2,400-2,500 feet in Hōlualoa.
Classic Washed Profile
Focused on clarity, sweetness, and structure.
Peaberry Selection
Carefully separated rounded beans roast exceptionally evenly.
Roasted for Expression
Lightly roasted to preserve nuance, acidity, and sweetness.
What Is 100% Kona Coffee?
100% Kona coffee refers to coffee grown exclusively in the Kona district of Hawai‘i Island — a small, volcanic region
along the western slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa. The combination of mineral-rich soil, afternoon cloud cover, and gentle trade winds produces one of the world’s most distinctive coffee terroirs.
To be labeled “100% Kona Coffee,” every bean must be grown within the Kona district and meet strict Hawai‘i grading quality standards. Kona coffee can be made from different arabica varieties, but Kona Typica — a heirloom lineage — remains the region’s most common and traditional cultivar.
If you’d like to explore more Kona coffees, you can browse the full collection here: Browse the Kona Coffee Collection .
About Kona Coffee
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Kona coffee grows on the volcanic slopes of Hawai‘i Island, where mineral-rich soil, afternoon cloud cover, and slow cherry maturation create a naturally sweet and balanced cup. Our Kona Classic Medium is sourced from high-elevation farms and hand-harvested for clarity, smoothness, and elegant sweetness.
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Yes — this roast is Authentic Kona coffee made exclusively from North Kona district-grown coffees, never blended. Our Kona coffees comes from small farms at the highest altitudes in the region.
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Medium roasts highlight Kona’s signature profile: gentle sweetness, soft citrus, toasted almond, and milk chocolate. The result is a balanced, approachable cup ideal for everyday brewing.
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This coffee shines in pour-over, drip, and French press. Use filtered water just off the boil and a medium grind for maximum clarity and sweetness. If you are looking for a Hawaiian coffee for espresso use we recommend our Hawai‘i Island Blend
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Kona is the highest labor cost coffee region in the world. Wages for farm workers here are 15-20x higher than almost all other coffee producing countries. Limited and expensive land, hand-picking, and high production costs create a naturally small supply each year — especially from high-elevation farms like those we partner with.
Company & Facility
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We roast and fulfill all of our coffee orders in Hilo, Hawai'i.
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We roast in small batches using a Diedrich IR12 roasting machine.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
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We source an array of the top specialty coffees worldwide that appeal to an array of different palates.
If at any point you have difficulty brewing, or just appreciating one of our roasted coffees, no problem. Shoot us an email within 5 days of receiving your coffee and we'll help you find the correct brew settings for your coffee, or give you a credit (minus actual shipping costs) on your next purchase. Yep, we're a Satisfaction Guarantee coffee company!
Please note, our Satisfaction Guarantee only applies to U.S. orders of roasted coffees, and you must contact us within 5 days of receiving the coffees. Credits do not include actual shipping fees, which may be different from posted shipping fees.
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We roast and ship on Monday/Wednesday/Friday.
Coffees
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Our commitment to you is to serve exceptional, fresh-roasted coffees. And part of being exceptional means roasting before the flavors inherent in the green bean begin to fade, which happens over time.
Like apples and pumpkins, coffee is a seasonal agricultural product and each country has a different harvesting cycle in which coffees are at their peak. If we were to insist on serving a single origin all year long, the flavors in that coffee would be noticeably better one half of the year over the other. So the reason you no longer see that coffee you loved is because the optimal season has passed. For more on seasonality in coffees, see this blog post here.
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Hopefully so. If it was a popular product or we receive customer requests, we will make every attempt to bring it back. However, please note that coffees from a certain producer may not taste the same year after year.
If you loved a coffee and no longer see it listed, shoot us an email and ask us what is similar. We’d be happy to provide a personal recommendation.
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We aim for balance and completeness along with differentiation and distinction. You shouldn't need to be a professional coffee taster to tell the coffees a part, so, when we’re selecting coffees, we want them to be distinct from each other.
We avoid ”one-trick pony” type coffees, such as Ethiopians with great aroma but no body or acidity, or coffees with good aroma and acidity but lacking sweetness. These elements, which are often reflections of the growing conditions, are harmonized through good roasting.
And, obviously, defects — even subtle defects — influence our selection. Since we live and work at origin, we’re sensitive to coffee defects like “past crop”, pulpy, and naturals that border on over-ferment. With naturals, we’ll only carry these when great examples are available.
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Our perspective on roasting is similar: we seek balance and distinction. To expect that a coffee is “best” when roasted to some pre-determined degree (i.e. only light roasting or only dark roasting) is analogous to thinking that each person would look best in the same outfit, or each coffee should be grown in the same way. We believe it’s our job to discover the roast degree which best highlights outstanding qualities in each coffee.
